Only the Good Die Young
by Kyoko Katahiro
Summary: [GreedxOC] Let the sin awaken the virtue, opposites do attract. Only her charity can quell his greed.
1. Second Meetings

There was always something about him... That made even the kind baker boy in him seem dangerous. I know Sister Maria was very angry when I skipped lessons and went for walks with him over the grassy hills. Funny, how I was so sweet one day and wild the next. "That boy!" she used to say when I mentioned him. "Avaric, you stay away from Agape. You only bring trouble!" scolding him she turned away and escorted me back to classes. I wanted to give my faith to Him but I could just as easily do that and be with Avaric."They don't understand," he said "I'd rather laugh with the sinners, than cry with the saints. Only the good die young, babe."  
Mother didn't approve of him either. She always cursed him, "All he can give you a reputation." she'd tell me. I was 17, and I was finishing school as a nun in-training. "So, they showed you a statue and told your pray, built you a temple and locked you away. They never told you the price it could pay, the things you might have done." He was so against me becoming a nun, that Avaric. I suppose if it weren't for him I wouldn't have known the meaning of "live life to it's fullest" before I got sick. I died at the ripe old age of 20. Mother, Sister Maria, and everyone else who wasn't a big fan of him, blamed Avaric. That He had let this happen because I strayed from His path. Something that contradicted the religion and was oh-so human to do.  
I wanted to wait there at The Gate for him. But, I couldn't. Just as I entered into that Gate, I saw him. Approaching The Gate he stood as the doors swung open. He stared blankly with wide eyes and a horrified look on his angelic face. I reached out to him and grasped his hand. He pulled me with all his might towards our side. Then, just as I was about to be released from the grips of The Gate I blacked out. When I awoke I was in agony. With blurry vision I looked at his mangled hand that I once had a hold of and a woman tending to his wound. "Dante, please help her. She's so... uncomplete. Please- ahh!" he gasped in pain as the blood gushed from his wound. "Avaric... It hurts." I managed to let out words from the mangled jaw of this new body. The only thoughts running through my mind were how much pain I was in. Then nothing. Stones hit the floor in front of me. Red stones that gleamed with the brilliance of millions of rubies. I reached out a bloody unskinned hand and touched them. A white light shocked my hand and tan skin once more covered my body. I reached for another and once more the stone gave off a white light and turned clear. Smoke of some sort rose from the stones and dissapated as it acended. The woman, Dante flinched and gasped. Finally, I felt complete and without pain. Dressed in a flowing white skirt and midriff tank top I stood up and stared into Dante's cold eyes. I was her height and we met eye to eye, only literally though. "Stay away from my-" his name had suddenly escaped me. Who was the man whom I so dearly loved? "-Greed." I stepped on the transmutation circle on the floor of the ballroom with a bare foot. It lit up a bright blue color and began to dissapear. He was already dead though. I couldn't bring him back. Jealousy flooded the woman's actions and Dante pushed me aside and clapped her hands, thrusting them onto the floor.

His lifeless body's flesh sunk into the floor and from the transmutation a bloody, unskinned, and imcomplete body rose. "Greed!" She shouted tossing the red stones at the mangled flesh "LIVE!" And it did. Slowly but surely it absorbed the stones and rose. Dante pointed a bony finger at me and with malice dripping from her every word she spoke "Kill her. NOW."  
What once had been a rather light-hearted love story turned tragic. I fled from the house. He followed me in hot pursuit until I ripped a branch off a tree and WHAP! knocked him unconscious. When I began to walk through the town, I could recognize the faces but not put names to any of them. Whispers and gasps rolled off the lips of all of those around me. "She's alive." "That woman looks just like her." "Could he have done it?" "A devil has taken her appearance." they said in hushed voices which I could hear all too loudly. I left that town and didn't return for 140 years. I lost all memory of that place as well, of my life there, of those people, and I became a myth.

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Wind brushed past a young girl's face, she closed her dark brown eyes solemnly as she passed past the abandoned buildings. Gunfire and blue uniform clad military personnel rushed after her. Despite this, she walked down only this street. Scattered thoughts, voices, memories, and pictures cluttered her mind. The cold midnight air chilled her to the bone but all she could remember was soft meadows of marigolds and thyme and a boy. A trouble making baker's apprentice who loved her so. She felt a strange sense of deja vu in these thoughts.Two words escaped her mouth as the men caught up with her and began to apprehend her. "Divine... Right." She entire block glowed a horrible and terrifying red color. Then with a crash, hundreds of buildings fell to the ground and imploding she watched the military scatter. She emerged from the dust and rubble unscathed. A single tear found it's way down her cheek. "Why... why does such sadness ommit from this place?" She meandered down the road and towards a bar.  
A devilish light lit the place and travelled from the depths of the lair up to the street. Clutching her burlap brown cloak around her shoulders she passed the place. Her heart beat sped up as she sensed the presence of another person lurking behind her. From the way the shadow that was cast by her side it was only a drunk, but men can be scary when they are not about their wits. She whipped around just in time to catch a glimse of a familiar face. It haunted her very thoughts the face of this man. "A- Agape." He stuttered and shook his head. His beautiful purple eyes enchanted the girl; then, just as they had finished gaping at each other 2 scantily clad women sauntered out and put their arms around him.  
For some strange reason jealousy and anger flooded through her thoughts. The man smiled goofily and greedily and waved to the girl as he trotted back into the bar. "Sorry, miss. Must have been a mistake. You couldn't possibly be the person I'm looking for, she's been gone for a while." Something deep inside her wanted to punch those women and take him with her. "Yes. Only the good die young." She replied.  
His footsteps slowed to a stop. "Excuse me?" He turned around and waved away the other women. "Oh, nothing. A bit of nostalgia now and then is all." She was truly interested in delving into a conversation with someone like him. "what's your name?" He asked, his tone was more interested than before.  
"I don't have a name."

"You have to have a name, didn't you parents give you one?"  
"I- I don't remember them. Or when I was young for that matter."  
He gave her a quizzical look, "Was that explosion a while back, you?"  
"To my understanding, yes."  
"Then you are... Your name is Charity."  
It did ring a bell, that name he had given her. "You're not leaving, are you?" he asked. This didn't seem like himself. He was unually docile and sweet to her. "I don't know yet. Do you have an extra room in that bar?" she asked, "Of course. Won't you join me in celebrating the freeing of the chimeras from Labratory 5?" he held out a hand and bowed. "You're awfully old fashioned." She took his hand and he led her inside. It was just as she suspected it would be, mobs of drunks, skanky women, and the occaisonal addicted gambler. All were sitting or lying around looking quite bored with stupid expressions pressed onto their faces.  
"Oh, sorry I haven't introduced myself. I'm Greed." He led her down a hallway and towards the last room of the corridor. Knocking on the door twice, and then swinging open the door he presented her with a room. "Hope you'll be comfy here missy!" He took all of the things off the nightstand and tossed them out of the room. "Kimbley will have to sleep with the dogs tonight. Well, see you around!" His upbeat attitude had returned. Charity smiled and looked around, "This is certainly going to be interesting." She had lived in many homes before but never something like this.

((First chapter! Comments are loved. I don't own some of the quotes it's VERY influenced by Billy Joel songs. My philosophy is Greed IS BillyJoel. All of his songs seem to apply to Greed or CharityxGreed for some reason. Don't ask me. Once more, Thanks for reading lovelies!))


	2. That which was lost, is now found

((Mmmhmm. Second chapter...))

She woke up drowsy and uncomfortable. For a moment she had forgotten where she was, but after her vision cleared she remembered. She was in a room at the Devil's Nest. That familiar faced man, Greed had brought her there. He had given her a name as well; It was Charity. She was rolled up in her burlap cloak and was a bit cold too. The bed was lumpy and smelled of cheap cologne so sleeping in those sheets probably wasn't the best idea. The bar was completely silent, even though it was the middle of the day. She messed with her hair until it was presentable and made her way down to the main lounging area. A light smirk found it's way to her lips, as she found it comical and yet all too bothersome to see half of the men of the pub sprawled across the floor with the whorish women around them. They looked like peaceful little scoundrels. In fact, they were.

It was time to leave. She obviously did not belong there and wasn't going to try to fit in. Besides, this was how she had lived for years. She began to step over the drunks laying on the floor and finally made it to the stairway leading out. She turned back to take one last look at the place. Taking a deep sigh she followed the steps up and out of the Devil's Nest. "Calling all angels!" the sound of an over confident sinner's voice shouted after her. "Are ya leavin' Charity?" he asked. "I'm a drifter, it's what I do. Thanks for the hospitality and all but I thought it over and I've decided to leave." she replied, "You said you don't remember when you were young." Greed began "But, if that's true how do you know you're...human?" She shot him a skeptic look and frankly had no idea what he was talking about. Doubt leads to anger often, "I deeply apologize for this but; First of all, I'm not a lizard or a dog so obviously I'm human and secondly why do you care so much? Why can't you just go back to your women and leave me be?" When and where she had plucked up the courage to talk to someone more physically powerful than she was, she had no idea. "Do you want the truth?" he asked in an defensive tone. "Why would I want a lie?" she answered back.  
He took a deep breath and leaned against the brick walls of a slowly crumbling building. "I care because..." Charity could tell this was WAY out of character for him to say. He seemed like the type that kept a macho attitude about himself all the time. "The reason I'm called Greed is because of my nature. 'I want money. I want women, status and power. I want everything this world's selling and eternity's topping the list!' that whole sha-bang. But something changed when I saw you. You look almost exactly like a woman I knew when I was human. I'm a homunculus, an artificial human created by Dante. But you, you're different. You don't have the Ouroboros tattoo. That and ever since you stayed here I haven't had one greed derived feeling. I think if we homunculi are devils you're an angel. Which means you are a virtue. A symbol of God and the resurrection of Agape. That's why I want you to stay." He then laughed "Besides, you can never have too many women around!" He finished with a light hearted laugh.  
"Agape, huh?" Was she really an angel? Her little explosion ability wasn't alchemy, so it could be a God given gift. But then, why would someone like her be an instrument of God? "I don't believe you." She couldn't possibly be an angel. "I didn't expect you to. But it all fits, doesn't it?" He gazed up at the clouds floating by. "If you get your memory back, come visit." With that he put his hands in his pockets and spun around to walk back into the bar.  
For the rest of the day as she journeyed through the broken down city the question of her true form bothered her. A phrase echoed in her head from what seemed like forever ago, "There's no such thing as no such thing!" it was such a bizarre saying and made her feel nostalgic for old times she couldn't quite remember. It was getting dark and she hadn't found shelter yet, which worried her a bit but she had been in worse situations before. She climbed up top a building and onto the clay roof to watch the sun set in the West. A strange feeling came over her now. One of homesickness and a longing to return to a place once visited. She had never felt this way before and it also troubled her. The only place she could think of was that damned bar, the Devil's Nest. "There's no way I'm going back there. Sheesh." Gunfire could be heard in the distance, "Another one gone. How sad humans are with their blood lust." she spoke like a wise old woman rather than a young naïve girl.  
CHA CHNK.  
The cold metal of a hand gun to the back of her head chilled her. "Missy you picked the wrong night to come up here." a cold voiced man said . "Stand up." she obeyed without a word. "Turn around and put your hands up." She complied again. The man in front of her was none other than Frank Archer. She recognized him from the hunts before. Trying to catch someone like her was one of the things he enjoyed most. Her eyes met his in a death glare, "You can tell your precious Fuhrer to kiss my ass, Archer. I'm not going with you." she spat at him. "You don't seem to understand. I'm not taking my orders from King Bradley anymore. This apprehension is purely because I can't stand types like you." Charity narrowed her eyes and focused hard on him. "Then you won't be spared." she said in a deadly tone. "And neither will you." he tightened his grip on the trigger of his gun.  
BANG BANG BANG!  
Charity gasped, ducked, and covered her mouth with her left hand. Standing in front of her was Greed with 3 bullet holes through his neck. They had originally been aimed for her forehead, but that idiot had gotten in the way while she ducked down. She was baffled that he had been close enough to get in the way because she was at point blank range from Archer. Greed merely laughed a bloody and gurgled maniacal laugh. "You're always getting into trouble, Charity." he said while Charity marveled at the wounds closing themselves up. She stood up and watched Archer's face contort in anger. "I'll kill you!" He backed up and shot his hand gun until he ran out of bullets and fled. At which point Greed had changed into his true form to deflect the bullets fired at him.  
Charity's eyes widened in fear. It was the thing that she first remembered, the monster that had chased her and almost killed her. "Get away from me!" she yelped and scampered back in a panic. Her mind couldn't handle the fact that standing before her was this thing that had been Greed all along. All the while the monster looked so confused and a bit hurt. "Wait..." It said putting a hand out . "Get away!" Charity hit the edge of the flat roof and felt for the top of the gate around it. "Charity-" it pleaded with her. She stopped. Something had changed. "Oh my God." It had all come back to her. In her desperation to escape, memories of her past life hit her like a ton of bricks. She gasped and clutched her head. It was a bit too much for her to handle at once. Charity could see and hear voices and images of this city in it's prime. Happiness, sadness, even love. She remembered herself as Agape, and he as Avaric. Her controlling mother, the strict nuns, and her need to control her own path.  
She opened her eyes and looked up at Greed (now in his human form).  
"I'm sorry... It's just-"  
"Agape, don't worry about it."  
She smiled and blushed a bit, "I've caused quite a bit of trouble while I was here. Sorry..." She stood up and put her hands on her hips. "I guess things will be a bit better now that I know who I am again. Long time no see, eh?" "It's good to have you back."

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That night I went back to the Devil's Nest er- home. Greed introduced me to everyone and I was happy once more. The empty feeling had gone away finally. I slept better than usual and woke up in a good mood. I had a dream for the first time in what felt like forever. It was more of a memory than a dream, though; It was one of Avaric and I...when things were simple and we were young.

((YESSSS! I have spell checker again! dances I'm so so so happy. I won't get marked down on my school work now for misspelled words anymore! Yep. So after a week of no Internet and computer I finally got it back with all of my files! My hard drive had died. Plus I have Band Camp so my hours at home are limited. I hope you all liked this chapter! Archer is a pussy, Greed is a pimp and I don't own either of them. Damn. I just have Charity. Well, 'til next time!))


	3. Caught!

((Upon reading VIRTUE by Kibou-Greenbird AKA my good friend Ryoki, I have decided to accept her collab. fanfic offer. We "shall kick some of the ass." as Starfire would say if Cartoon Network had made Teen Titans not so kiddie like. Whatever. Accidental good collaborations are always good. So this will cross over with VIRTUE.))

_Afternoon._

I woke up late again. I was never much of a morning person but 1:30 in the afternoon! This is a bit extreme.

Waking up in another room in the roach motel like pub Charity shook her head and attempted to wake up. She had to share a room with the one other girl that was officially a Devil's Nest member, Marta. Marta was a very neat and clean woman that believed there was a place for everything; the complete opposite of Charity. On her side of the room, it was a mess. All of her things given to her as room warming gifts in the past days (mostly booze and old clothes) were strewn across, on, and under her bed and bedside table. As a last resort to look presentable she had combed her tangled mess of black hair and thrown on what she hoped were clean clothes.  
Some drunks still lazed around. However, most of them were nursing their hangovers with bags of ice on their heads. Charity was never a bright and happy girl when she woke up. This afternoon was no different. Sitting on the couch with two women hanging all over he who she thought was a _loyal_ fiance. Without a word she focused all over pent up rage into the glass of wine he was being handed by whore number one.  
PLSHK.  
The glass shattered in her hands and she let out a small yelp. "What's the matter? Did the mean glass break and cut your delicate hands?" Charity's voice dripping with sarcasm and utter disgust. Greed turned around with the face of a dog being caught in the act of stealing a shoe or sock. "Whoops, you were caught." Charity rolled her eyes, "Ladies, if you would so kindly leave him alone for, oh say, the rest of your pathetic lives I'd love that. Thanks." The two women left giving Charity dirty looks as they sauntered off. Dragging Greed by the ear Charity made a long speech about his being unfaithful and all the shit he had told her the other day. Most of which is all too familiar to someone who has caught their lover cheating and was level headed with the matter. A fair .01 percent of the world's women.  
Her angry rant resulted in Greed wishing he could actually kill himself or at least chop off an ear and not have it grow back.  
Mid afternoon had hit like a load of bricks. Charity was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and Greed in a headlock. Biddo rushed into the room . "S-Sir!" he said trying to catch his breath, "SIR!" it was surprising to see Greed looking rather bored with life. Even if he had been in that headlock for over a half hour. "Go on, Biddo." he replied with a sigh, "Sir, I was in town finding some food like you asked-" "Which I see you failed to do." he interrupted. "Leave Biddo alone, Greed." Charity tightened her grip out of annoyance. "I saw a girl with the same tattoo as Miss Charity! It was between her shoulder blades! I rushed back to inform you, sir!"  
Greed smiled devilishly, "Ooh, good catch, Biddo. We could always use another angel on our side, right, Charity?" "Thank you very much Biddo. Wait- How could you have seen it between her shoulder blades? Were you peeping!" Charity released Greed and chased after Biddo in a rage. She couldn't stand people with the indecency to peep. "GET BACK HERE YOU STUPID LIZARD! I'LL KILL YA!"  
_Evening. _  
"Biddo, lead me to that angel."  
"Greed, sir, are we leaving Miss Charity?"  
"For now, yes. It's safer. If that angel is hostile I'm not going to let Charity be put in danger. Dorochet, find Roa."  
"Marta too, sir?"  
"No, if Marta goes then Charity will get suspicious."  
"She'll be suspicious if _you_ go."  
"Sh- Shut up will you!"  
"Yeah yeah... sir."

_Night._

Crrreeeaaak.  
"Surprise Surprise!"  
"MFF! FMMFH! EESSMMEE!"

((END. Or is it? No it is until next week. I know Hope could have gotten out of a frontal attack but an ambush is different. Don't argue with it Ryoki-chan. I doubt Charity will be happy about the kidnapping of Hope. Heads will er- Greed's head will roll.))


	4. Rage

((I hate school. It sucks. Everyone has 7th period lunch but me:( I'm not a very happy "Poet" at the moment. I'm going to use italics for sentences as thoughts from now on.))

_This day hasn't been a very good one from the start, but he had to go do this?_ These are the thoughts that ran through Charity's mind as she watched Greed in the process of blackmailing the newest angel to grace the Devils' Nest.

Last night he had kidnapped a woman who was supposedly an angel like herself. She had only found out about it an hour or so ago as well. Kimbley was headed off to the basement for some unknown reason and as curious as she was, Charity followed. Only to stumble upon a lovely little conversation between Greed and his captive.  
"Ah, so you're finally awake. You're probably thinking 'what the hell does he want with me,' right? So yeah, here's the deal: I figured that, since you and one of my subordinates didn't seem to get along that you wouldn't hear me out."

This was ridiculous! He had her tied up for God's sake! She threw the door open and charged in, completely enraged by the audacious acts he had pursued behind her back.  
"So you think kidnapping her is gonna make it all better! What kind of effed up logic is that. What the hell is _wrong _with you, Greed! You can't just kidnap someone and expect them to do what you want them to do!"  
"Ah, but you see, Charity… Actually, I can." He held a small packet of what Charity rightly assumed was medicine.

_What a moron. He honestly thinks he could go through with it? He can't even kill Archer let alone an innocent. He's more of a saint than I am!_

He ordered Dorochet to take a knife away from the girl who had managed to cut herself free.

This other angel, was very different from Charity... Purer in a sense, definitely smarter, or at least more resourceful. She frowned at Greed's trickery. He could have at least told her he was going to kidnap her. Honestly! Who did he think he was. _I suppose that's just like him. Once a sinner always a sinner.  
_"Greed, you have to let her go. Stop being such an idiot. Haven't you ever heard of asking for help!" Charity glanced at the girl and stepped towards her cage, "I'm sure under different circumstances she wou-"  
"Charity... Shut up."

It was like a slap in the face to hear those words come out of Greed's mouth. Especially aimed at her. She fell silent and her gaze turned towards the ground.

"I want you to make me invincible. I'm greedy, you see." He was so passionate when he talked about his avarice. His eyes would widen and he'd speak with such enthusiasm, "I'm a homunculus... The ultimate shield is what they call me, but there are ways for me to be sealed, injured, or killed. And I'm not too keen on those ideas."

_I can't believe it! He's lying... This is so confusing. Why would he lie about something like this? He went through all this trouble and now..._  
For as long as she had known him, she knew when he lied he'd make his hand gestures really exaggerated. What was he up to?  
"What. The. Hell." Charity broke her silence and faced Greed with an intense glare. She stood straighter so she would look taller than usual. She had always been taught that if you appeared to be bigger than the person you are arguing with then you'd have a better chance of winning. Her attempt was of course, in vain, because Greed was a lot taller than her. "You have some nerve, you know that!" she rose her voice, "First, you go behind my back. Then when I discover your little plans you tell me to shut up! Finally..." she narrowed her eyes "... YOU LIE! WHAT IS GOING ON IN YOUR HEAD! Are you on stupid pills or something!" she shouted at him.

Greed grabbed her wrists, "Stay out of this." His tone was calm, but frightening because she knew he was angry by the way he gritted his teeth when he spoke.  
She had gone too far, getting pissed off and yelling at him like that. All the while the other angel watched. Probably planning her escape or a way to get that medicine.


End file.
